


They Can't Have You

by oikawatoorus



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Fluff, HH, M/M, Sad, Titans, aot - Freeform, attack on titan - Freeform, god i suck and it's really angsty i'm sorry, shingeki no kyojin - Freeform, snk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-08
Updated: 2013-10-11
Packaged: 2017-12-28 19:16:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/995541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oikawatoorus/pseuds/oikawatoorus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's two days before Eren's fate is decided at a trial, deciding his death either at the hands of the Military Police, or public execution. He falls apart one night, and the corporal won't have that.</p><p>I might continue this if you guys like it idk</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Eren rounded a corner in the castle, sleeplessness overtaking him. It was around 2 in the morning, but Eren’s nerves were keeping him awake. His trial was in two days; the decision of how he would die was to be made there. He would either be executed on the spot, or handed over to the military police, where they would do with him what they wish. Which was, without a doubt, to eliminate him.  
He heaved a heavy sigh and stopped walking. I lived a good life. But he didn’t. He screwed up humanity’s victory, killing hundreds of fellow soldiers in the process. He got the Corporal’s entire squad murdered. He failed.  
He slid down the wall on shaky legs, slumping against the cold stone. It cooled his hot titan skin, reminding him once again that he was a monster. He deserved whatever death came to him in the upcoming days.  
“Jaeger?” Eren’s head snapped up to glance at the Corporal. He had been so submerged in his thoughts that he hadn’t heard the shorter man approach. Levi had the same nonchalant look on his face, if not annoyed. The lamp light reflected off of his glazed grey eyes, making them seen soft.  
“Heichou! I didn’t hear you coming.” Eren thought about standing, but assumed that the Corporal would be leaving soon.  
“Why are you crying?” Levi’s brow scrunched ever so slightly, a sign of miniscule worry. Eren reached up to his cheek to realize he was indeed crying.  
“I don’t know, I didn’t mean to.” He pulled away his shaking hand from his face and let his head fall back against the wall. He let his eyes slide closed, hoping Rivaille would take it as a sign to leave the boy alone.  
Levi squinted at the brunette, trying to quickly decide what to do. The only time he had seen the titan shifter cry was when he had fallen out of a tree and cracked open his kneecap. And he had shed less tears then than he was now.  
He made up his mind, and slid down the wall next to Eren. He set his lamp in between them, and extended his legs. Eren opened his eyes in surprise at the Corporal’s presence next to him. “C-Corporal? I can get back to bed if you need me to?” The boy really wanted now to be left alone.  
“Tch, something’s troubling you. As your guardian, I find it my job to help you through hardship. And hormones, in your case. So what is it, brat?” Through Levi’s joking tone, was sheer concern, Eren noticed.  
“It’s your job to make sure I don’t screw up. And it’s too late for that. Don’t concern yourself with me, Corporal.” Eren faked a laugh, and tried to stand, but stopped when he felt Levi’s hand stopping him.  
“Since when do I not concern myself with you, Jaeger? Why would I not?” His hand was still on the younger’s leg, despite him being seated again.  
“Don’t you find it logical to worry more about someone who will be alive by next week?” Eren scoffed. The older man’s eyes widened.  
“Excuse me?”  
Eren rolled his eyes before resting his head against the wall again. “Let’s be realistic. If I’m not executed on the spot at my trial, then I will be if I’m handed over to the military police. Either way, I’m dead by the end of this week. It’s ok, though. It’s my fault. I let everyone down. Everyone’s dead because of me and my stupidity.” Eren bit back another onslaught of tears, determined not to cry in front of Heichou, but failing as a single tear dribbled down his face.  
Levi crumbled. “Eren… stupidity isn’t you “failing” or whatever. It’s you thinking I’d let them kill you.” Eren glanced up at the Corporal, appalled at his answer. “It’s not your fault that the Female Titan killed my crew. You trusted us, and they trusted you. It got them killed, yes. But you trusted them. They died protecting you.” Levi’s hand cupped Eren’s face, wiping the tear with his thumb and letting it fall back in his lap.  
“If I had just transformed sooner, I could have saved them.” Jaeger’s voice trembled, the fear and guilt evident.  
“I instructed you to trust us and let us protect you-”  
“You gave me a choice!” Eren’s voice rose, “And I made the wrong one! I let them down. I let humanity down. I let you down.”  
“If you think I’m going to let them take you away from us, from me, you’re wrong. You are so wrong. You did your duty. Petra, Gunther, they did their duty.”  
Eren shook his head furiously. “It doesn’t matter! They’re dead because I was too stupid to act and make a choice!” More tears spilled from Eren’s eyes, and he began shaking. Levi pulled him against his chest, wrapping his arms around him. He stroked the boys hair as the tears spilled onto his shoulder, as he shook and trembled.  
“I’m not going to let them kill you. I’m not going to let them take you away from me. I won’t let them touch you.” His grip on the teen tightened, and he tucked him face in the space between Eren’s head and shoulder, breathing in his neck.  
Eren chuckled, dark and sadistic. “They barely let you have me the first time. No chance they’ll do it again.”  
Levi’s lips set in a straight line. “Erwin has a proposal and a promise set up. Obviously, nothing went wrong, seeing as you aren’t dead yet.” Eren trembled at the warm breath on his ear.  
“I don’t want to die, Rivaille. I want to serve by your side and save the world. I need to. But I know the chances are small.” Levi bit back a choked breath. He couldn’t stand hearing the words coming from the brunettes mouth. No. “I’m probably not getting out of this alive, Corporal. They see me as a threat. They have an opportunity to eradicate me. They’re going to take it and I’ll-”  
“No they will not!” Levi’s voice rang out. “I don’t know how many times I have to say it, you brat: I. Will. Not. Let them!” Tears were now on the verge of spilling from Levi’s eyes. Eren lifted his head from the shorter man’s shoulder.  
Eren had barely lifted himself from Rivaille’s shoulder when Levi cupped his face and pulled him in, crashing his lips into Eren’s. Shocked, Jaeger couldn’t move. But the heat and passion from Levi made him move, remembering he was still alive. Levi moved his hands behind Eren’s head, keeping him in place, kissing him breathless, their tears mixing on their faces.  
“They won’t take you away from me. I swear.”


	2. He Loves like a Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trials and sass and love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm deciding to continue this! Most of the story is going to be oneshots surrounding Eren and Levi's complications and love (and I promise they won't all be angsty!), with a few other pairing chapters thrown in! Thanks for reading<3

Fear. Fear is the strongest emotion a human can experience. Fear can change how you think, how you act. It can change your life. Fear can destroy you when you overthink, when you change your beliefs because you’re scared.   
The men and women in the stands of the courtroom stank of fear. Their eyes were filled with uncertainty and bloodlust for the boy chained in front of them.  
Eren remembered the same atmosphere from weeks ago, coming from the same people who surrounded him now. Everyone was fear stricken then, unsure of the ‘monster’. Would he turn on them? Would he aid them? Could he be trusted? The questions went unanswered for weeks as Eren trained with the Captain Levi and the Survey Corps. He hadn’t been around to experience the anticipation of the citizens within the wall.  
“He’ll crack on his first mission; I bet he’ll eat roughly a third of the corps.” “He won’t even make it to the first mission! He’ll be killed by that Corporal his first week in training!” Words of this nature had been repeated time and time again. What made it worse was that they were right. Eren had been responsible for hundreds of deaths on his first mission, while he survived. Levi’s squad had been ruthlessly murdered by the Female Titan protecting him.  
The weight and pressure of doubt and hatred he felt on his was crushing him. There wasn’t a soul in here who trusted him. All except one.  
The room fell silent of taunts and calls for his blood when the judge walked in, taking a seat at the front of the room. The shuffle of papers filled the eerie silence suffocating the room. After moment, the judge looked up at the boy shackled to the pole, scrutinizing him. “Eren Jaeger. It has been some time.”  
Eren remained silent, unsure of whether or not he was to answer. The judge looked to the man standing on the right side of the room; the head of Military Police. “Your proposal, please. Why do you feel Eren Jaeger needs to be executed?”  
The man cleared his throat. “Jaeger is random and naive. He is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of his comrades, including the Elite’s on Corporal Levi’s squad. When approached by a titan that has been assumed to be controlled by a human and possess abilities alike those of Eren Jaeger.  
He allowed them to die by not taking advantage of his titan-form. Which I suppose is understandable, considering the fact that he either doesn’t trust himself, or is thirstier for the spill of innocent human blood than we previously expected.”  
The room took up a hum of agreement. Eren couldn’t even feel hatred towards the man who accused him of bloodlust towards humans. His hope for his life to be saved was much smaller.  
The judge turned towards the left side of the room, where Commander Erwin and Levi sat. Eren couldn’t muster up the courage to even look at them. “Commander? Corporal?”  
“Eren Jaeger isn’t responsible for the deaths of Squad Levi. The Female Titan, who we believe to be one our own, killed all of those people. Eren was told to not use his titan power unless it was an emergency, which it was not at the time. The squad and Heichou Levi told him to trust them and not to turn unless he was left unguarded.”  
The room went up in a hum of disapproval. Eren laughed to himself darkly. ‘We can’t wheedle out of this one’, he thought to himself, the reality of the situation sinking in. ‘This is it. This is where it ends.’  
He heard the clacking of boots near him, but he kept his eyes down. The judge chuckled. “Mr. Rivaille, that worked the first time, and the first time only. Don’t expect it to work again.” He saw Levi come closer into view, as he squatted in front of the boy. Levi’s fingers made contact with the soft flesh of Eren’s chin, lifting it slightly. Eren’s green eyes cast upwards at Levi’s stormy gray ones. ‘Trust me’, they whispered.   
“Punching the brat won’t save him now!” Jeers erupted from the crowd, but fell silent when Levi’s soft lips made contact with Eren’s. A small collective gasp followed as Levi caressed Eren’s cheeks, radiating passion off of him, strong enough the people in the room could feel it.  
Moments passed. Silence remained. Levi kissed him harder.  
The absence of heat filled Levi’s spot when he pulled away. The corporal turned towards the stunned judge, eyes cold. “Eren Jaeger is my responsibility. I swore to kill him if necessary. As you can see, he’s alive. Meaning his death is unnecessary, much like this trial.”  
Eren Jaeger made it out of the courtroom. Guards had come and unlocked his shackles after Levi’s daring kiss.   
Once outside, Eren hugged the corporal with all his strength. Levi reciprocated, wrapping his arms around the taller. “I promised they wouldn’t hurt you. You’ll come to find I’m a man of my word.”  
Fear isn’t a humans strongest emotion. Fear stops you from doing things. But love, love pushes you towards it at full speed. Love gives you strength to protect the things you love the most, it reminds you you’re human, it pushes you to be better. Love keeps you human.  
And if Eren Jaeger can love, he’s not a monster. Eren Jaeger can strike fear into the hearts of men, but only Levi can strike love into the heart of the boy.  
And that’s what keeps him human.


End file.
